A great blue heron snacks in the waters of the Little Pigeon River. Behind me, the mist settles in the meadow as horses nibble their breakfast. The winding road behind me leads to the hills and hollers of the Appalachian foothills; a landscape shaped by generations of small farmers who, by necessity, taught their cows to graze vertical pastures.

On the other side of the river, a giant blue and green helium balloon ascends on its tether, then goes back down, then up again with a new load of tourists. I can hear theme music wafting over from the Titanic Museum, and preaching coming from some other loudspeaker.

It’s on the Pigeon Forge strip: five miles of hotels, theaters and family attractions. Rising beyond are the majestic Smoky Mountains, wrapped in the mist for which they are named.

The Appleview River Resort in Sevierville, where we stayed during our trip to the Tennessee Smokies, is perched on that line between scenic countryside and bustling entertainment complex, between the sublime and the ridiculous.

That combination of natural beauty and man-made fun is what makes the Smokies one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations. It also gives visitors the chance to customize their experience. You can spend your time deep in the hills or right in the center of the action, stay with your kids in a big resort with an indoor water park, or hide away in a cabin with a view you’ll never forget.

The main attraction is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: half a million acres of deep woods, sparkling waterfalls, scenic vistas and restored pioneer homesteads. It is the nation’s most visited national park, and one of the few that doesn’t charge admission, mostly because it’s accessible from so many points.

The main road across the Smokies runs from Gatlinburg, Tenn., to Cherokee, N.C., with Clingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet, the highest peak in the national park at about the half-way mark. The road is closed regularly for snow or landslides, but the views are spectacular. Other roads into the park are less crowded and just as rewarding. Greenbrier, a few miles east of Gatlinburg, is a fine place to picnic along the creek. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail is a nice, short introduction to the land and its heritage.

Better yet, go to Cades Cove, one of the prettiest spots on the continent, where horses still graze as they have for centuries, on pastures surrounded by mountains.

Gatlinburg, nestled in the hills at the park’s entrance, is the older, more established tourist center. Compact and walkable, it has riverside hotels, a ski area and shops that range from classy to chintzy. Its newest attractions are distilleries offering free samples of legal mountain moonshine.

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Pigeon Forge, just down the road, has room for water slides, ziplines, go-carts and mini-golf, for large hotels and attractions like the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Titanic Museum. It’s also the place for dinner theaters, mostly featuring live country music and cornball comedy.

The best attraction in Pigeon Forge is Dollywood, a theme park dedicated to, and owned by, country music legend Dolly Parton. It’s got all the rides the kids expect at a major theme park (regular admission runs $56), with extra helpings of mountain heritage and music.

This spring, Dollywood went global with its "Festival of Nations." You wouldn’t expect to hear Central African a capella singers and Incan panflute players at a park built around a country music icon, but good music is good music, and it’s part of what makes Dollywood much more than a collection of roller coasters.

Sevierville, just north of Pigeon Forge, is shaping its own identity as a tourist destination, while holding on to its identity as the county seat of Sevier (pronounced "severe") County. It has created a shopping district featuring dozens of brand-name retailers, and built a new convention center/golf/resort complex.

But don’t forget the back roads. Smaller Smokies villages like Pittman Center, Cosby and Townsend offer all the charms without the crowds. Zipline through a wooded holler at Foxfire Mountain; fish, hike or camp in Wears Valley. You may find the drive to be more memorable than the destination.

With its central location and temperate climate, the Smokies has seasons to suit most anyone. Southerners flock here in the summer for days less stifling and nights more comfortable than back home. They come in the winter for a chance to see snow. Northerners can come in April to start their spring early (don’t miss the wildflowers), and in November to stretch out the fall. September in the Smokies is a gem of a month, when the summer heat lifts just as the tourists thin out.

The Tennessee Smokies have something for every season – and for every visitor’s taste.